Reaching the Sustainable Development Goals: The need for building resilience

Floods, which affect more people around the world than any other hazard, are undermining countries’ progress towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Studying the effects of floods and the actions needed to build resilience can provide examples of how countries and donors can address hazards and make communities more resilient in ways that also support achieving the SDGs. The annual High Level Political Forums (HLPF), Voluntary National Reviews, and September 2019 SDG Summit are important opportunities to embrace this learning. By incorporating resilient, climate-smart thinking into disaster risk management, climate change adaption, and development agendas, countries and donors can ensure that the SDGs are not undercut by the impacts of floods and other extreme events.